Personality Disorders

Personality Disorders are complex and require specialized training to diagnose and treat. Borderline Personality Disorder and Avoidant Personality Disorder, in particular are some of the personality disorders treated at CriticalPath Counseling.

A distinguishing characteristic of Personality Disorders is the presence of impairment in multiple areas over several different domains of a person’s life over a long period of time. Because Personality Disorders are pervasive and impact many areas of a person’s life all at once it can be tricky for psychotherapists to distinguish which aspect of a person’s symptoms should be prioritized first. With careful assessment and specialized training a solid therapeutic relationship using evidence based treatments can make a big difference in the overall prognosis of clients with these disorders.

It is important for the family and friends of individuals suspected of having a personality disorder to avoid diagnosing someone yourself. Many factors and conditions need to be considered before settling in on a diagnosis- a process called “differential diagnosis”. This can only be done by a qualified psychotherapist or psychiatirist.

Is a common belief that personality disorders are not treatable? Research has found that this is not true. Many evidence based treatments exist for personality disorders including Dialectical Behavior Therapy for Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). We take great care at CriticalPath Counseling to ensure that accurate and careful diagnosis is made prior to beginning any treatment.